# Best brand and source for meers?



## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

I'm close to having the money for a meerschaum pipe, and I'd like to know from the meer guys the best brands and sources for meers. Thanks!


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

Why not an Altinok 2011 Forum pipe? If you don't like that, he offers a huge variety of premade and made-to-order pipes.

Aside from quality, I have found him to be always responsive to emails, very quick to ship and generally a "good guy". Of the 3 Turkish Meer sellers I have directly ordered from, he is the only one I will do business with again.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/277580-puff-pipe-2011-design-your-pipe.html


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## UIVandal (Dec 23, 2010)

The puff pipe is awesome looking, I may pick one up myself. The floral with silver can't be beat.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

CWL said:


> Why not an Altinok 2011 Forum pipe? If you don't like that, he offers a huge variety of premade and made-to-order pipes.
> 
> Aside from quality, I have found him to be always responsive to emails, very quick to ship and generally a "good guy". Of the 3 Turkish Meer sellers I have directly ordered from, he is the only one I will do business with again.
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/277580-puff-pipe-2011-design-your-pipe.html


I'm not really fond of the shape, unfortunately.

Say, the one brand I have heard of as having good meers is CAO. Any truth to that, or are they no better than others?


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## Granger (Jul 24, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> I'm not really fond of the shape, unfortunately.
> 
> Say, the one brand I have heard of as having good meers is CAO. Any truth to that, or are they no better than others?


C.A.O. is out of the Meer business now, so no worries!


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

From everything I've seen and heard it seems like you've got basically three choices for a quality meer. Altinok, IMP and Baki. Never read a bad word about any of them, and they all offer all the traditional shapes as well as carvings and freehands.


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## Granger (Jul 24, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> I'm close to having the money for a meerschaum pipe, and I'd like to know from the meer guys the best brands and sources for meers. Thanks!


As a dyed in the wool Meer smoker I tend to be VERY opinionated about this (I can hear the gasps of shock now from the peanut gallery!). I won't bother discussing he brands that are gone now, I will discuss the ones I have purchased from. In order of my enjoyment/recommendation:

1)ALTINOK:To be open and honest, I am totally in the Bag for Altinok Meers. The pipes are awesome, and the customer service is the best. I have never gone more than 1 day without a response. There was a delay on one pipe, and this lead to a discount on the next. What more can you ask for?

Altinok Pipe - Excellent Turkish Meerschaum Smoking Pipes

2)BAKI: Baki makes beautiful pipes, and I do own two. Excellent smokers. I think his prices tend to be a little high.

bakipipes

3)IMP: Good pipes, but you have to buy them through someone. Altinok is a good place...BEWARE of Ebay. There is a guy there who is not the best, or easiest, to deal with. Best way to say it.

4) The Meerschaum Store: Good stuff, takes time, and they still use the old style Teflon tenons on most pipes.

Meerschaum Smoking Pipes - Meerschaum Collectibles Gifts

5) Ahmet Govem: I do not have one of these, despite my earlier caveat, but two Meer smoking uncles do and LOVE his pipes.

Ebay Calabash Meerschaum Smoking Tobacco Pipes Pfeife Pipa

So, if I were buying my first Meer, I would spend some time on the Altinok Site and really look around. To me, you find the BEST pipe there for your money. If you have questions, send Sinan an email and he will get back to you.

And always upgrade the mouthpiece!


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## El Gringo (Nov 30, 2010)

I have an SMS that I got at a Tinderbox, how do they rate in the world of meers?


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## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> I'm not really fond of the shape, unfortunately.
> 
> Say, the one brand I have heard of as having good meers is CAO. Any truth to that, or are they no better than others?


The best thing about Meers is that there is an endless variety. I suggest Altinok because he uses many masters as carvers and offers a large variety at different price levels. Also, I must stress that he is responsive, quick and honest.

I'll add to what Granger said, the guy who sells IMP on eBay should not be trusted, this comes from personal experience.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

El ****** said:


> I have an SMS that I got at a Tinderbox, how do they rate in the world of meers?


I had an SMS that sadly was not a great pipe. YMMV, however. The screw in tendon failed on mine in a very short time and they where utterly unresponsive. They do tend to have a tighter draw than the other vendors mentioned as they don't use Delrin tendons. Treat it gently, particularly when taking off the stem.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

I prefer Baki pipes. I think the guy is doing the best work around and his pipes are second to none. They have the added benefit of shipping from the U.S which cuts down on the time and the possibility of loss in the mail. I own 11 Bakis. Deniz Ural (the seller) also has other pipes on his site by carvers other than Baki. I've picked up a few of these and they're all very good.

IMP pipes can be ordered from www.smokingpipes.com. I've had only good experience with the IMP seller on Ebay but it appears that he stops performing if something is wrong with the pipe or it doesn't show up. They ship from Turkey. I've got 5 IMP's.

I only own 1 Altinok but it's a fine smoker.

I also own 2 SMS pipes and one had to be repaired to open up the draft. The other is my knockaround meer. Tough little bugger! I own one CAO that could stand to have this done but it's not too bad.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Thanks for all the information, guys. I think for now I'll stick with a meer from a regular online retailer rather than order direct, at least for now. IMP at smokingpipes.com looks like the best option.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Granger said:


> C.A.O. is out of the Meer business now, so no worries!


That's what I heard. My "local" B&M has one, though. Should I snap it up?


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

ChronoB said:


> That's what I heard. My "local" B&M has one, though. Should I snap it up?


If you like it, yes. I doubt it will increase in value to the point where it'll make you rich. There were tens of thousands of CAO's made and they're fairly common.


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## Poneill272 (Oct 29, 2010)

Granger said:


> C.A.O. is out of the Meer business now, so no worries!


Really? There's a place near me that has a lot of them. Wnder how long they have been sitting there? www.pipesandpleasures.com. They r a small shop, nice meerschaum though.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

dmkerr said:


> If you like it, yes. I doubt it will increase in value to the point where it'll make you rich. There were tens of thousands of CAO's made and they're fairly common.


Well, I meant should I snap it up from the perspective that CAO meers were good smokers, not necessarily because of potential value.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

ChronoB said:


> Well, I meant should I snap it up from the perspective that CAO meers were good smokers, not necessarily because of potential value.


Ehh... well... CAO's were "ok" smokers. Some were quite good and some not. In my opinion, a Baki, Altinok or IMP beats the pants off CAO's. Ismet Bekler was the main carver for CAO for many years, and at the time he was recognized as somewhere around #1 or #2. He was an excellent carver. But he didn't know enough about pipe physics.

Take something with you that you can use as a mouthpiece (in case you don't buy the pipe, I would imagine the shop owner wouldn't want you slobbering on it) and blow through the stem while placing your hand just over the bowl. If air passes freely and you can feel it on your hand, buy the pipe if you like it. If it seems constricted, pass. You can also try the pipecleaner trick. If you can pass the cleaner from stem to bowl, even if you have to twist and turn it awhile, it should provide at least a decent smoke.

I'll put it this way. I have one CAO and it was handcarved by Bekler in my presence.* It has his name on it, my name and the date it was carved. I've owned it since 1986. It has been smoked fewer times than my first Baki that I bought in late 2009. It's cool to have but it's not that much fun to smoke. I may have Ronni B open it up for me.

*Bekler did a tour of U.S pipeshops in '86. He had to bring an interpreter because the only English he knew were "Women!", and "Whiskey, No Coke". lol


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